The_Awakening

The Awakening At the beginning of The Awakening, Edna Pontellier alienates herself from society only on an emotional level. She felt as if “a certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her, – the light which, showing the way, forbids it” (17). As the novel progresses, she voices her feelings and begins to put them into action. However, Edna must face the fact that her ideas are not socially acceptable. When Edna’s beliefs contradict those in her community, the community’s moral values are revealed by the society’s reactions to Edna’s role as a mother, her treatment of her husband, and her desire for other men. Edna’s behavior toward her children was viewed by society as being abnormal. She did not neglect her children, however her participation in their lives was unconcerned and apathetic. She would often leave them with a nanny, rather than take care of them herself. “She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them” (24). This contrasted the perfect motherly figure of her times. Madame Ratignolle is an example of this ideal motherly awakening, edna, society, children, husband, ideal, however, pontellier, even, woman, way, society’s, robert, ratignolle, novel, mr, madame, life, herself, edna’s, doctor, become, women, wife, viewed, times, standards, sometimes, should, rather, motherly, mother, men, longer, lives